Ditching or excavating machine.



No. 633,977. Patented Sept. 26, I899.

w. .B. nonnmnel DWGHING'UH EXCA'VATING IA'DHINE.

(Application Med Apr. 21, law.

(no llddal.) 2 shun-5m:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. non uman, or s'r. Louis, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERIGANPNEUMATIC RAILWAY DITGHER AND GRADER COMPANY,

OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS.

ol'rcHmc. OR- EXCAVATING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part ern tt s Patent mieeaew, datedseptember 26,1899.

v Application filed April 21, 1899. Serial No, 713,921. (No model.)

ToaZZ whom, it nmy concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. DOD

BRIDGE, a citizen of the United states, residing atSt. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented certain new and, useful Improve ments1n Ditching or Exca'vatingMachines,

andJI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexactdescription of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in theart to which it appertains' tomake and use the same. 2 y

This iuvention relates to ditching or excavating machines; and itconsists, substantially, in the features of improvement hereinafterdescribed,and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

The invention has reference more especially to that class of ditchingor-excavating machines employed along railways for the purpose offorming ditches on either side of and substantially parallel with thetracks at equal or varying distances from the tracks within the limitsotadjustment of the plow or scoop forming part of the machine.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means for varyingthe distance of the plow or scoop from the side of the car or trucksupon whichthe supporting-crane and other parts of the ditching-machineare mounted.

Other objects will. also more fully hereinafter appear when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 representsa view in perspective of a ditching'or excavating machine having myimprovements embodied in connection therewith; and Fig. 2 is atransverse sectional view of the traveling car and thecrane-support,said view being taken in a plane substantiallycoincidentwith the swinging axis of the supporting-guide for thetraveler of the scoop, said guide and traveler being shown in elevation.v

, Preliminarily to a more detailed description it may be stated that thecar upon which the crane and other main parts of the ditching orexcavating machine are mounted is pro polled along the tracks by meansof an engine or locomotive, as usual, and that, so far as the main partsthemselves are concerned ,they

may be of anyordinary and'well-known con-. struction and arrangement. pI

The means or devices constituting my improvements consist of a movabletraveler or iclevis from which the forward end of the ditching plow orscoop is suspended in any suitable manner, while the rearward end ofsaid scoop is suspended at the end of a cable passing over "suitableguides carried by the 7 swinging crane. The traveler is operated to bemoved away from and toward the side of the car, and the same is guidedin its movements upon a support carried by a part of the car, the saidsupport having a swinging movement horizontally by which to conform tothe movements of the traveler during the adjusting operations foraltering or varying the position of the scoop. The'means for adjustingthe traveler in either direction relative to the sideof the car operatein a direct line transverse to the car, so that no shifting thereof isnecessary beyond what is required by the simple'connectionbetween saidmeans and the traveler.

My improved ditching-machine is exceedingly simple and easilyconstructed and operated, besides being most edec'tive for the purposesfor which it is intended.

Referring'to the drawings, the vnumeral 1 designates the car, upon theplatform 2 of which is arranged the deck-plate 3, and

mounted or supported upon said deck-plate is the upright 4:, to which isattached and supported an ordinary swinging crane 5, having the usualappurtenances'employed therewith for ditching or excavating operationsat the side or sides of a railway-track 6. No further reference will bemade to these several main parts on the car beyond what is necessary toexplain my improvements, which will now be described in detail.

- Fastened in a socketa in a suitable housing a on either side of thecar, substantially at the longitudinal center of the latter, is asuitable yoke orcoupling-head 7, to which is pivoted, by means of a pin8, a coupling-piece 9, which in turn is pivotally connected at 10 withthe inner end of a beam 11, on the upper surface of which are arrangedparallel trackrails 12 for the support and guidance of a movabletraveler or clevis 13. This traveler comprises suitable vertical sidepieces 14, properly joined together, and between which are arrangedsuitable grooved or flanged wheels 15 for running upon the rails 12.

Connectingwith the lower part of the clevis 13 by means of a pin 16, soas to have a swinging movement horizontally, is the outer end of aconnecting-rod 17, which is preferably hollow, and the inner end of thisrod is similarly connected by a pin 18 to the end of a piston-rod 19.,the head 20 of which, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 2, works in a steamor compressedair cylinder 20, preferably arranged beneath andtransversely of the car, the said cylinder being provided with suitablevalves (not shown) to admit compressed air or other motor fluid oneither side of the piston-head, so as to move the rod 18 outwardly andinwardly and to reverse the same at any time during the movement of thepiston in either direction. Connecting the said traveling clevis to theforward end of the ditching machine or car is a steadying and bracingcable 21, while connecting the forward end of the plow or scoop 22 withthe rear side of said clevis-is a shorter cable 23. The rearward end ofthe scoop is connected by a hook 24 to the end of a cable 25, whichpasses upwardly overguide-pulleys 26 and 27, supported on the crane, andextends thence down through the hollow upright 4 and between rollers orcylinders 28, preferably beneath the platform 2 of the car, and aroundone of which the cable is wound, so as to pay itself out and be rewoundin conformity with the different movements imparted to the 'clevis forthe purpose of varying or altering the height and distance of the plowor scoop from the side of the car. The said plow or scoop can be of anypreferred form or construction, and it may be stated at this point thata duplicate motorcylinder 29, Fig. 1, is arranged alongside the cylinder20 beneath the car-platform, by means of which the clevis and itssupport and other connections may be changed to the opposite side of thecar and operated therefrom in a similar manner whenever it may bedesired to use the scoop or plow on that side.

Fastened to the outer end of the supporting-beam 11 is a yoke 30, towhich is looped or connected one end of a cable 31 for supporting theouter end of the beam and the other end of which is looped or fastenedat 30 to the side or edge of the deck-plate 3 or other part of themachine, the said cable being provided with a turnbuckle or other device31 for lengthening or shortening it.

It will be understood that my present improvements are not related inany manner to the ditching or excavating machine proper that is to say,to the main parts or elements of which such machines are usuallyconstitutedand for this reason no particular description thereof hasbeen given. It will also be understood that in referring to the severalparts which make up my present improvementssuch, forinstauce, as thetraveler and its operating mechanism, together with its swingingsupporting-beam, and the cable connections, &c.the same is done in abroad or general way, since I do not limit myself to the particularconstruction of any of said parts or to their disposition orarrangement.

Assuming the normal position of the beam 11 to be at right angles to thelongitudinal center of the car and the traveler to be at the farthestpoint from the side, then a rightangled triangle will be formed, ofwhich the said beam and the side of the car form the two sides and thecable 21 the hypotenuse. If the traveler is now moved toward the car,the side of the triangle formed by the beam will be reduced; but theother side of the triangle, (formed by the side of the car,) as well asthe hypotenuse, will remain the same. Therefore in order to accommodateitself to the changed relation of the sides of the triangle, the saidbeam swings backwardly upon its pivot toward the rear end 35 of themachine, and at the same time the connecting-rod 17 swings upon itspivot 18 in the same direction with the beams, sufficient play beingallowed between the end of the piston-rod 19 and the connecting-rod forthis purpose.

Compressed air is supplied to either of the cylinders through pipes 50from the air-pumps on the locomotive. (Not shown.)

Said traveling clevis can also be used in connection with other parts ofthe ditching-machine in the same way as the scoop is oper= erated.

It will be seen that the line of draft upon the plow or scoop is throughthe cables 21 and 23 and the'clevis.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Pat ent, is-- 1. The combination with a ditching-ma chine, ofa beam extending beyond the same, and a traveling clevis having amovement back and forth on said beam substantially at right angles tothe machine and means operative from the machine to move the clevis backand forth on the beam.

2. The combination with a ditching-mm chine, of a beam supported at oneside thereof, and projecting beyond the same, a traveling clevis havinga movement back and forth on said beam, and means operative from themachine for moving the clevis outward from the machine and for reversingthe same.

3. The combination with a ditching-machine, of a beam supported at oneside thereof, and projecting beyond the same, a traveling clevis havinga movement back and forth on said beam, a motor-cylinder on the machinehaving a piston and rod, and a connectingrod movably connecting saidpiston-rod with the clevis.

4. The combination with a ditching-machine, of a pivoted beam supportedat one side thereof, and projecting beyond the same, a traveling clevishaving a movement back and forth on said beam, at motor-cylinder on themachine having a piston and rod, a connecting-rod movably connectingsaid rod and the" clevis, and a ditching plow or scoop having connectionat its front end with said ,clevis.

5. The combination with a ditching-machine, of a traveling clevissupporting the same at one side, means for moving said clevis outwardfrom the machine and for reversing the same, a plow or scoop, a cableconnecting the same with the clevis, a cable connecting the clevis withthe forward part of the machine, and a cable connected to the rear endof the'scoop and passing over guides upon the machine. v

6. The combination with a' ditching-machine, of a pivoted beam at oneside thereof,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature Q of two witnesses. WILLIAM B.DODDRIDGE.

Witnesses: I

F. W. IRLAND,

G. A. HAGAR.

in presence

